Rwanda National Police

When Rwanda National Police (RNP) was created in the year 2000, it adapted the community policing tool as a strategy to build ties and work closely with members of the communities to overcome crime. Since then, the department for community policy has been influential in reducing crime throughout the country, and is run on a philosophy that promotes proactive partnerships with the public to address public safety issues such as social disorder and insecurity. The Commissioner for Community Policing, Assistant Commissioner of Police Damas Gatare, tells it all in an informative interview – including the core functions of the department and how officers work with citizens in helping Police to realize its vision.

 Qn: Explain briefly how the initiative of community policing began and how it was implemented at RNP

 ACP Gatare: Traditionally, police responds to crime after it occurs. On top of that, police cannot be everywhere at all times and therefore relies on routine patrols, rapid response to calls for service, arrests, and follow-up investigation.

Community policing therefore was adapted to encourage citizens to participate in crime-solving. It comes as a strategic and thoughtful plan focused on the proactive prevention of crime and disorder, by partnering with the public to increase police visibility in all communities to solve, prevent and reduce crime.

In a nutshell, Community policing encourages the police to increase the means by which citizens are able to report incidents or the use of volunteers to provide timely reports that help us in anti-crime operations.

 Qn: Do residents understand this strategy and has it worked as you expected?

 ACP Gatare: We have to understand that before and during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the citizens were always scared and full of mistrust for law enforcing agencies.

Law enforcers were used by politicians to intimidate citizens and this gave them a bad reputation because citizens saw them as part of the problem, rather than as their protectors.

This is the kind of stigma we aimed to kick out from the onset; and we had to do that by first - ensuring that we offer services professionally as expected of us – and second, by being open and approachable to citizens.

This strategy has been very successful in increasing police response to crime, because many reports are now provided by community members. This shows that they trust us to do our best in protecting their lives and property.

Unlike the previous law enforcers who served the criminal desires of a genocidal regime, RNP now serves the citizens primarily and ensures that they have a say in the security of their communities.

Qn: can you with certainty say that community policing has led citizens to trust RNP?

ACP Gatare: The Rwanda Governance Scorecard produced by the Rwanda Governance Board in 2012, presented results from a nationwide survey, which indicated that 92 percent of the citizens trust RNP. This is a very high score which is a result of professional services, discipline and partnership. Of course it is not 100 percent, so we still have a lot of work to do.

But only when the community and the police can truly work together for their common good, will citizens feel that they can trust the police to that level.

Once the citizens trust the officers who they meet in our day-today operations, they feel free to provide them with information to help prevent or solve crimes and to arrest criminals.

This has enabled RNP to serve communities better and to fulfill our mission to “make the people living in Rwanda feel safe and reassured”.

Qn: Explain the day-to-day activities of community policing initiatives around the country and how they are monitored.

ACP Gatare: Conducting investigations has always been paramount in RNP missions. For this reason, we have exploited community policing to build strong investigative functions countrywide, where we get credible information from citizens.

We also work with established entities such as Community Policing Committees (CPCs), Youth Volunteers in Crime Prevention, as well as individual citizens in general.

CPCs were introduced in 2007 and they are made up of ordinary citizens chosen by fellow residents. They operate in cells and sectors to collect information that helps in crime prevention, while they also reach out to residents and sensitize them about the need to collectively overcome crime.

The Youth Volunteers in Crime Prevention is an organization that has over 7000 young men and women dispersed throughout the country – with an aim to promote security and participate in crime prevention. They have been influential in aiding Police operations and also in sensitizing fellow youth against crime.

These, on a regular basis, partner with RNP’s District Community Liaison Officers (DCLO) to immediately respond to information about criminality, and to lay strategies on how to approach common challenges in society.

The DCLOs are heavily involved in the community issues in order to create an opportunity through which RNP can make policing more effective.

We also work with motorists’ association to ensure that road safety is respected, as well as with the business community to protect the country against economic crimes.

Qn: How do you consolidate Community Policing programs and ensure that they serve are monitored to serve their purpose?

ACP Gatare: RNP has an understanding with authorities of all the 30 districts of Rwanda – and one of their mandates under this agreement is to ensure that all strategies, including that of Community policing, are fully operational in the preservation of peace and security.

We also work with the Ombudsman’s Office, Prosecution and other public entities to ensure that cases are properly documented and that justice information is properly shared in order to promote justice. Through such initiatives, citizens gain more trust in our ability to maintain law and order and to follow up on the information they provide with professionalism.

Qn: RNP has been at the helm of tackling specific problems such as drug abuse, human trafficking and gender based violence. How has community policing influenced RNP’s approach?

ACP Gatare: Every district faces its unique challenges, but it is through community policing that police understand the roots of these challenges and devices solutions to sustain a healthy society.

As with such challenges involving drug abuse and gender based violence, we get information from responsible members of societies and use it in operations to raid drug dealers’ homes or their areas of operation and arrest them and destroy the drugs.

The issue of human trafficking is not intense in Rwanda, but RNP is always aware of its threat. Citizens across the country do come up with information whenever such cases occur and we act upon it immediately to rescue young men and women who may be caught up in this scourge.

On top of that, RNP reaches out to citizens during social events like Umuganda and special sensitization campaigns to discuss and debate about how such crimes can be overcome. During these events, real problems are dissected and proactive solutions are found.

Community policing has become so popular in Rwanda that citizens are always willing to take it upon themselves and bring up ideas on how to maintain public order.

Qn: There are some cases that come up involving agents of community policing (abanyerondo). How do you deal with such and the strategies in place to keep them at minimum?

ACP Gatare: Everyone is bound to respect the law...certainly no one is above the law. Everyone who commits are crime is investigated and penalized as the law stipulates. In this line of security related duties, there are certain set guidelines that security personnel are bound to follow. If you go against any, you are followed up regardless of who you are or what you do. Rwanda is a country that is built on the foundation of respecting the law. But again there are specific basic trainings given to these community policing agents to put them in line of professionalism although this doesn't mean that one or two will tilt from these core values...but they are followed up individually but not as an entire institution. Like RNP, these community policing agents are accountable to the people.

Qn: Lastly, what are the future ambitions of the community policing department?

ACP Gatare: Our goal is to ensure that law enforcement is a role for every responsible resident in society. RNP aims to always be dynamic, open and quality-oriented in its role as the enforcer of law and order, while at the same time partnering with the community to achieve this goal.

RNP also seeks to maintain its training programs for communities to empower CPCs and other partners with knowledge, skills and equipment, in a bid to emphasize partnership in crime prevention and problem-solving measures.